Page 11 of Beacon

“Miss?” He inched the door open a bit farther and grinned when he spotted me. “There you are. I was beginning to wonder whether I’d really seen you. I’ve already been questioning our previous meeting; I hit my head hard enough to fear I’d imagined the entire interaction.”

I gaped at him before my fluster caused me to step forward and push against the door, a silent order for him to leave…but he only stepped fully into the room as if my refusal had instead been an invitation.

At my startled gasp, he lifted his hands in a conceding gesture. “Forgive the intrusion, I mean no harm. I only want to—” His words faltered at my glare. He blinked, taken aback. “Is something the matter?”

I made a shooing motion with my hands. His brow furrowed before his eyes widened with understanding.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Relieved he’d understood so easily, I nodded.

His shoulders slumped. “I suppose in my desire to see you, I did invite myself in. My sincere apologies.” A blush caressed his cheeks, but his embarrassment was quickly replaced with another smile. “Perhaps it wouldn’t be an intrusion if you granted me permission to stay a bit longer?” His hopeful expression faltered when I pursed my lips and shook my head. “I see. Then I suppose…I should go…”

He shuffled backwards a few steps but not enough for me to close the door. If he hadn’t been a prince, I’d have closed it anyway, but it’d be foolish to act on such a tempting impulse towards royalty. My relief at his obedience to my wishes faded when he paused on the threshold with a rather imploring look.

“I know you haven’t invited me in, but if I stay outside, would you allow me to talk with you for a few minutes? I’ve been searching for you for days. When I couldn’t find you, I actually began to wonder whether you were some sort of mermaid.”

He chuckled at the notion and I only continued to stare. When my silence continued, his good humor vanished and he tilted his head with a thoughtful look.

“You’re rather quiet. There’s no need to be shy; I’ve been told I’m easy to talk to.”

Of course, I remained silent. Perhaps he’d finally depart once he realized I was mute. No one but Father ever tried to communicate with me, even when we ventured into the village, and I doubted the prince would be any different. Yet even though I was desperate for him to leave, I couldn’t help but be curious: what did a prince want to discuss with a lighthouse keeper’s daughter?

He waited a polite amount of time for me to speak before his forehead crinkled. “You’re shyer than most.”

I debated whether or not to tell him my condition before deciding it was preferable than the prince thinking I was deliberately ignoring him. With a sigh I tapped my throat.

He frowned. “What’s wrong? Does your throat hurt, making it difficult to speak?”

I tapped my throat again, this time while opening and closing my mouth to mimic words. The furrows in his brow only deepened…until his eyes widened with sudden understanding.

“Wait…can younotspeak?”

Finally he understood. I nodded.

He continued to stare, mouth agape. “At all?”

I shook my head. I hoped the answer would be enough to end this one-sided conversation, but unfortunately, my revelation seemed to have only made him more curious and thus more inclined to stay. He continued to stare in disbelief. I quickly grew uncomfortable with the attention and lowered my eyes.

He hastily stepped forward. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

My gaze snapped up in surprise that he’d so easily understood my feelings, even without words. He shifted as if nervous.

“I truly didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m sure you’ve gotten such a reaction a lot. Despite my surprise, I should have behaved better.” He hesitated. “Would it be rude to inquire what happened to your voice? Were you born this way, or was it an accident?”

Little did he realize that an accident was exactly what had stolen my voice, even though it hadn’t been my own. But even if it hadn’t left me mute, I would never share my darkest memory with him. But the sadness brought by it filled my features, causing him to hastily step forward, his hands held up in apology.

“Forgive me, I have no right to ask…though I suppose you couldn’t have told me anyway. I mean…that was the wrong thing to say. What I meant was…oh bother.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m certainly fumbling up this entire interaction.”

A blush stained his cheeks and he avoided my eyes, an image the complete opposite of what I’d expect from a dignified prince, making him seem not royal but almost…normal and thus much more approachable.

His fluster was short-lived and he straightened determinedly. “I know I’m making a muddle of this, but would you still grant me a moment of your time? I know you’re uncomfortable with my coming inside, so perhaps we can talk on the beach.”

The beach was much more preferable to inviting him in, and yet…I glanced warily towards the working sailors, many of whom cast us several curious glances. Thankfully, the prince was astute enough to notice.

“Ah.” He bit his lip. “Your condition likely makes it difficult to be around others when you can’t communicate with them in return, so we can go somewhere more private.”

I blinked in surprise that he’d been able to discern the reason for my hesitancy, something as surprising as the fact he’d extended the invitation at all. Despite knowing I’d be unable to contribute to our conversation, he still wished to speak with me. Warmth filled me, but I continued to hesitate; it’d been so long since I’d spent time with someone other than Father.

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